Ernst Stromer

Stromer described Spinosaurus aegyptiacus in 1915 based on fossils recovered from the Bahariya Oasis in Egypt's Western Desert. He also identified other notable Cretaceous dinosaurs from the same region, including Carcharodontosaurus and Aegyptosaurus.

Stromer's fossils were housed in the Bavarian State Collection of Paleontology and Geology in Munich and were destroyed during Allied bombing raids in World War II. The loss meant that for decades, knowledge of Spinosaurus relied almost entirely on Stromer's published descriptions and illustrations.

Stromer was an outspoken critic of the Nazi party and refused to join, which led to professional marginalization during the 1930s and 1940s. He was barred from academic positions and his research output was significantly curtailed during that period.

New Spinosaurus remains were discovered in the Kem Kem Beds of Morocco in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, most notably by paleontologists including Nizar Ibrahim and Paul Sereno. These finds revised understanding of Spinosaurus as a semi-aquatic predator, dramatically different from earlier reconstructions.